Get the weekly report

Pyros

With their eyes on the sky, they don’t notice them – and they’re not supposed to – as the perfect alchemy of art and science explodes and lights up the night.

Now, viewers are introduced to an elite swat team of men and women charged with the entertaining task of creating some of the world’s most dazzling fireworks displays when PYROS premieres Tuesday, April 24 at 8 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT on Discovery Channel.

Commissioned from Vancouver-based OMNI Film Productions, this original Canadian eight-part series follows a squad of globe-trotting, thrill-seeking artists and technicians as they travel to exotic locations, power through exhausting schedules, battle harsh weather conditions, and solve complex technical glitches on the fly – all to light up the sky with the magic of fireworks.

The explosive PYROS experience continues online. Users can get the full PYROS experience on Discovery’s new Social Screen at social.discoverychannel.ca. There, users can browse web extras including photo galleries, character bios, and cool facts about fireworks and the making of the show. Plus, viewers can watch full episodes and never-before-seen footage of the explosive new series. As well, viewers can tune in and chat LIVE with @PyrosCanada and @DiscoveryCanada during the 8 p.m. ET broadcast.

For the elite team of pyrotechnicians at Montreal’s Groupe Fiatlux-Ampleman (GFA) – one of Canada’s most sought-after pyro companies – blowing things up is simply an everyday part of life. The team includes adrenaline junkie techs Philippe Girard and Sebastien Roy, renegade designers Eric Cardinal and Benoit Berthelet, and a troop of ragtag rookies, all wrangled by their boss, the beautiful but tough Maude Furtado. With tens-of-thousands of dollars on the line and hundreds-of-thousands of people watching, the team has no room for error. Mistakes can be more than costly; they can be downright deadly.

Led by Furtado, GFA has one simple goal: to become the best pyro company in the world. And to get there, they must not only do better in their own backyard, but also excel on the world’s stage. This year, they execute stunning shows in exotic – but demanding –locations including Rio, Valencia, Berlin and Seoul. Overseas, the playing field is not always level, the work is never easy, and there is no room for error. Whether it’s battling harsh weather conditions or tough rivals, solving technical glitches or crooked competitors, GFA is in for a wild ride. PYROS goes behind the scenes to the launch pads where fierce rivalries and amazing technology fuel every show.

Highlights from the first episodes of PYROS include:

PYROS: “Fire and Ice”

Tues., April 24 at 8 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT

Montreal-based Groupe Fiatlux-Ampleman (GFA) is chosen to put on a fireworks show at the world’s largest winter festival, “Carnaval,” in Quebec City. But moments before the show starts, head pyrotech Girard struggles to light the warning shell. Later, GFA participates in the festival’s closing parade with a custom float that spits fire and launches fireworks. The show, however, is cut short as high winds prove dangerous. Girard and Roy head to Spain to learn from the best of the best during the “Las Fallas Festival.”

PYROS: “For Auld Lang Syne”

Tues., May 1 at 8 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT

GFA puts on not one but two New Year’s Eve events simultaneously: one in Quebec City, and one in Rio de Janeiro, where Roy worries about his own safety at the world’s biggest fireworks show. Girard joins Furtado and Cardinal in Barcelona to shop at a famous fireworks factory and test out some of the world’s best pyro. And Girard and Roy learn from the pros in Valencia and take part in “La Crema” – the burning of huge and elaborate sculptures in the public square.